After shouting the words "hide", Hasegawa took the lead and pounced behind a large protruding rock wall next to him. When pounced on this obstacle, Hasegawa did not forget to put his straight
Zhou and others also pulled him up.
The high level of organization of the fire thieves trained by Hasegawa was demonstrated at this moment.
Following Hasegawa's order, Hasegawa's subordinates scattered one after another, looking for and hiding in suitable hiding places just like Hasegawa did.
As soon as Hasegawa and the others hid their bodies, they saw a large group of people pouring out from the end of the corridor directly in front of them, like a gurgling fountain.
And the person leading this large group of people was Gao Qing.
Seeing that the person who went to escort Hasegawa had not returned, after realizing that this matter was unusual, Takaharu immediately rushed to the underground prison with all the troops he could lead, 6 Iga ninjas and 18 musketeers.
.
After arriving at the cell where Hasegawa was originally imprisoned, Gao Qing saw the corpses on the ground that had been killed by Hasegawa.
After knowing that her bad premonition had come true, Gao Qing did not dare to have any more hesitation or hesitation.
Regarding the famous "Ghost Ping", Gao Qing had heard many stories related to him a long time ago.
He solved a case that ordinary officials couldn't solve after struggling for a month in three days.
The mother of a certain official who was reformed by thieves was seriously ill, so he used his personal wealth to advance money for that subordinate.
If it was that "Onihira", he would definitely not abandon his subordinates like this. Thinking this in his mind, Gao Qing led his men and went straight to the place where Hasegawa's subordinates were imprisoned.
Sure enough, the current situation he saw with his eyes was exactly the same as he had speculated.
Although Hasegawa and others hid in the obstacle very quickly, Gao Qing still caught the moment Hasegawa rushed behind the stone wall in time.
Tsk... Damn it... you're causing trouble for me at this time!
Gao Qing's cheeks bulged upwards from clenching her teeth vigorously.
In the current rush to move from Mount Koya, Hasegawa's outburst made Gao Qing feel... very want to kill.
However, even though his heart was filled with murderous intent, Gao Qing still suppressed his anger and shouted to Hasegawa in as gentle a tone as possible:
"Mr. Hasegawa, stop hiding! I have seen you!"
"You are Toyotomi-sama's guest!"
"We don't want to hurt you!"
"Please put down your weapons and come out!"
"If you are afraid that we will take you to some terrible place later, then you can rest assured!"
"We are just moving everyone in this cell, including you, for some reasons!"
"I promise you! Every word I just said is the truth!"
For Gao Qing, the best result at the moment is naturally to successfully persuade Hasegawa to surrender with his words.
Not only was Hasegawa a guest of Toyotomi Nobuhide, he was also a talent that Toyotomi Nobuhide longed to take under his command. If Hasegawa was accidentally injured or killed, it would be difficult to explain to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
It is also because Hasegawa and others now hold a number of weapons that cannot be underestimated.
Gao Qing not only captured the moment when Hasegawa and others hid in various obstacles, but he also witnessed the hands of Hasegawa and others holding a considerable number of muskets.
Although the number of muskets owned by Hasegawa and others, according to Gao Qing's visual inspection just now, is less than the number of hands, and the number is far less than that of the 18 musketeers he currently has under his command, muskets are still muskets after all.
If they engage in a firefight with Hasegawa and others in such a narrow place, even if they win, there will definitely be a lot of casualties. This is not what Gao Qing wants to see.
Of course, Gao Qing is not a naive fool.
Naturally, he would not foolishly put all his hopes in persuading him to surrender.
He was well prepared. While loudly urging Hasegawa to surrender, he also signaled with gestures to all his subordinates to be ready to fight at any time.
"Tsk..." Hasegawa secretly poked half of his head outside the rock wall at this time to observe Gao Qing's military strength.
Due to the angle and terrain, it was difficult to tell the exact number of Gao Qing's troops. The only thing that could be confirmed was the number of muskets, which was the advantage of Gao Qing's side.
This is troublesome...
Hasegawa turned his head and looked at the subordinates beside him.
Due to the insufficient number of weapons, more than half of the subordinates were armed with bare hands.
And those who had weapons only held flintlock guns that they had never seen before and were not familiar with at all.
"Hasegawa-sama."
A subordinate next to Hasegawa who was lucky enough to receive a flintlock rifle asked Hasegawa in a low voice.
"How do you use this iron cannon? Why doesn't it even have a match rope? How do you shoot it when you don't even have a match rope?"
"I don't know either." Hasegawa whispered, "But the iron cannon seems to fire just by pulling the trigger. Be careful not to misfire."
"Lord Hasegawa." Another person lowered his voice and asked Hasegawa, "What are we going to do now? Are we going to... rush out and fight those people outside?"
"..." Hasegawa did not respond to his subordinate's question.
I saw his sullen face, looking thoughtful.
"...You just said: Now for some reasons, we have to be transferred. May I ask what the reason is?" Hasegawa asked Gao Qing outside in a calm tone.
While asking Takaharu this question, Hasegawa quickly turned his eyes and scanned everything within his field of vision.
Finally, Hasegawa's eyes were fixed on the cell diagonally behind him, where his subordinates had just emerged from.
To be more precise, they are the large wooden boards that are fixed on the floor of the cell, one person long and half a person wide.
These large wooden boards, no more, no less, total 23 pieces, which is exactly the same number as the subordinates imprisoned here.
Presumably these planks are the beds for the subordinates these days.
"Sorry." Gao Qing answered the question Hasegawa had just asked, "I'm sorry I can't answer this question."
As soon as Gao Qing finished speaking, Hasegawa quickly asked a new question:
"Where are we going to be moved to?"
While asking this question, Hasegawa turned his head frequently and repeatedly checked the location of the cell and the location of Takaharu and others with his eyes.
After confirming that due to the angle, Gao Qing and others were absolutely unable to see any movement in the cell, Hasegawa focused his gaze and made two very simple gestures to the two subordinates beside him.
He gestured with his fingers to the large wooden boards in the cell not far away. Then he raised three fingers.
Then he put his fingers together and compared himself with these two subordinates.
The two subordinates beside Hasegawa happened to be old subordinates who had followed Hasegawa for many years.
Even Hasegawa didn't say a word to them.
Even though Hasegawa only made these two very simple gestures.
The two of them were still able to immediately understand what Hasegawa's "sign language" meant.
The two men nodded vigorously with solemn expressions, then bent down and walked quickly back to the cell they just came out of with gentle movements that made no noise...
…
…
"Where are we going to be moved to?"
Listening to Hasegawa's latest question, the impatience on Gao Qing's face reached its peak.
"…Dongfang." Gao Qing replied, "We will move eastward next. Exactly where in the east we will move, please forgive me for not being able to answer this."
"Hasegawa-sama, please stop wasting your time and mine."
Time was urgent and Gao Qing, who didn't want to waste any more time here, said sharply in a very serious tone.
"I will give you one last warning now: please put down your arms as soon as possible..."
"Okay!" Before Gao Qing finished speaking, Hasegawa's voice suddenly sounded and interrupted Gao Qing's words, "I understand, we'll come out right now."
"Please tell your subordinates to be more careful later and not to accidentally pull the trigger of the iron cannon when we come out."
Hearing Hasegawa's words, Gao Qing was stunned for a moment, and then his expression relaxed.
"As long as you put down your weapons and come out, we will never do anything to you. After all, you are Lord Toyotomi's guest."
"That's it... then I'll be... relieved!"
Hasegawa's last words, "Don't worry," suddenly went up several degrees.
And after he shouted "Don't worry" in an almost roaring tone, he suddenly rushed out from behind the rock wall where he was hiding.
He didn't come alone.
Rushing out of the hiding place with him were the two old subordinates who had just been ordered by him to go into the cell to get the planks.
Hasegawa and his two old subordinates, each holding a tall wooden board just taken from the cell, launched a true "wall charge" side by side towards Gao Qing and others!
The more dangerous the job, the more he has to take the lead. This is what Hasegawa has always insisted on.
It was through this persistence that he won the love and support of his subordinates.
Therefore, he will never let anyone take away his position of "holding a wooden shield and rushing to the front".
Three large wooden boards placed side by side can cover almost the entire passage.
"Come on!"
"superior!"
"Follow Master Hasegawa!"
…
Hasegawa held up the plank and took the lead, and the rest of the bandits' tribe followed closely behind.
Seeing this, Gao Qing's pupils shrank suddenly, and then he quickly raised his hand and ordered:
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
Bullets exploded like exploding beans.
Rows of bullets roared and hit the large wooden board held by Hasegawa and others, causing sawdust to fly.
Although the boards in Hasegawa's and others' hands are large, they are not thick, only about as thick as a thumb.
The only role that a wooden board of this thickness plays in front of a flintlock gun is to slightly reduce the potential energy of the projectile.
The barrage fired by Takaharu instantly turned the wooden planks used as shields in Hasegawa's and others' hands into a hornet's nest.
The projectile penetrated the board and concentrated on Hasegawa and others behind the board.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Uh huh...!"
"Uh-huh!"
…
Seven people were shot.
Among them, Hasegawa is also included.
Hasegawa now only feels a burning pain in his left leg.
When I looked down, I saw a small hole in my left leg.
Fortunately, the projectile did not hit too deeply because of the wooden board blocking it.
Hasegawa endured the pain and continued to rush forward with the board in hand, while shouting:
"Iron cannon forward!"
This is the order they gave the thieves to change.
After the order was given, the soldiers armed with flintlock guns immediately extended the barrels of their guns through the gaps in the wooden planks.
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
Hasegawa and the others withstood a round of shooting from Takaharu and the others, and after narrowing the distance between the two sides, they launched a counterattack. The closer distance allowed Hasegawa and the others to have a higher hit rate, and they fired in one breath.
There are 6 subordinates of Zhong Gao Qing, so although the firepower is not as good as Gao Qing's side, it still brings a lot of psychological shock to Gao Qing's side.
After a round of shooting at each other, the two sides collided head-on in this narrow passage like two tides.
Hasegawa threw away the big wooden board in his hand, raised the knife in his hand, and slashed at the enemies in front of him. Those who had flintlock guns in their hands held the flintlock guns upside down and used the muskets as blunt weapons.
The two sides launched the most primitive battle.
You punch, I kick.
You swing the musket over, and I will grab your musket.
One can imagine the consequences of starting a street fight in such a small space.
At the beginning, both sides were relatively orderly, but in the blink of an eye, all order was lost.
The two sides struggled together, you squeezed me, I squeezed you, and it became difficult to even turn around.
Looking at the chaotic battlefield in front of him, Gao Qing looked bad, but his expression was by no means heavy. Although the scene of "a scuffle with Hasegawa" that he least wanted to see happened, he was not afraid of it.
Hasegawa Shopping.
After all, they are the dominant side.
In terms of numbers, they were about the same, but in terms of weapons, Hasegawa was far inferior to them.
More than half of Hasegawa's group were bare-handed, but everyone on his side was armed with a weapon.
At the same time, in terms of training, the Toyotomi clan's musketeers are not inferior to the fire-fighting thieves.
The difference in combat power brought about by the disparity in weapons quickly became apparent as Hasegawa's side fought extremely hard, with significantly more people falling than Takaharu's side.
The person with the ugly expression is Hasegawa.
Looking at this scene, Hasegawa looked gloomy, secretly anxious in his heart, and his expression was extremely ugly.
He suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg, and now his strength has been greatly reduced. It has become extremely difficult to just kill an enemy.
We need to kill the guy who looks like the commander first!
After giving Gao Qing a sharp look, Hasegawa shouted:
"Everyone, charge forward with me!"
Hasegawa personally made sharp arrowheads and charged in the direction of Takaharu.
Hasegawa could think of capturing the thief first and capture Wang Gaoqing naturally.
"Stop them! Surround them!"
Gao Qing gave the order and quickly retreated to the rear of his subordinates, some distance away from the battlefield.
The musketeers and Iga ninjas formed a thick human wall to isolate Hasegawa's side, making it difficult for Hasegawa's side to approach Takaharu.
The enemy's command was clearly in front, but he couldn't get any closer. This feeling of frustration and anxiety made Hasegawa's expression become more solemn and his teeth clenched tighter.
Damn...if only I hadn't been shot in the leg...
If his leg had not been shot, Hasegawa was confident that he could use his own skills to rush to Gao Qing in one breath.
At this time, Gao Qing showed an expression that was completely opposite to Hasegawa's. Looking at Hasegawa and his group who were struggling to fight with his subordinates, his expression showed more and more relaxed smiles.
While he was looking at Hasegawa and others who were struggling in his eyes with great interest, he was also carefully observing every movement on the battlefield to be on guard against another trick Hasegawa would use.
And, just at this moment
Um?
Gao Qing suddenly saw many people led by Hasegawa, and suddenly looked at him with dazed eyes.
No.
It's looking behind him.
Gao Qing was about to turn around and look behind him
"Ah... finally I met someone."
An old male voice sounded from behind him.
Gao Qing, whose pupils shrank to the size of pinholes, hurriedly turned to look behind him.
And he just turned his gaze behind him
Whoosh!
A shuriken cut through the air at an extremely fast speed like a meteor, hitting Gao Qing right between the eyebrows.
Gao Qing didn't even see clearly who was shooting the shuriken, and his vision was shrouded in darkness.
When his consciousness was about to dissipate due to death, the last words Gao Qing heard in his life were a word of praise and a word of humility.
"Exquisite technique." The old male voice just now said without hesitation in the praise in his tone, "Hatsuguang, it is quite rare for you to be able to practice the Iga-ryu shuriken throwing technique to this level at this age.
.”
"Thanks for the compliment." A cold female voice responded.
…
…
Who are these people...?
Hasegawa looked at the group of people who suddenly appeared behind Gao Qing with shocked eyes.
This is... a group of people with an extremely complicated composition.
There are men and women.
There are old people and young people.
The leader is a man who should be between 60 and 70 years old. He wears a sword with a dark red handle and sheath on his waist.
Hasegawa had just noticed this uninvited guest, and a sudden change occurred. A beautiful woman standing behind the old man suddenly shook her hand, threw a shuriken, and accurately shot Gao Qing's head...
…
Immediately afterwards, the old man and the rest of the people behind him all started to move.
They pulled out their weapons and pounced like hungry tigers on the Toyotomi clan who were struggling with Hasegawa and others.
This battle... no, this can no longer be called a battle.
It can only be regarded as a one-sided massacre.
The old man and the others almost all killed him with one knife.
Every time a sword is struck, someone will be killed.
The rear was suddenly attacked, and the people who attacked them were a group of masters like this. Gao Qing's remaining subordinates immediately broke into chaos.
But they didn't panic for long because in just a blink of an eye, they were attacked from both sides and had nowhere to escape, so they no longer had the ability to panic emotionally.
Only a few seconds passed from the time when the old man and others appeared, joined the battle, to when they killed all the Toyotomi clan members, including Takaharu.
"Back off! Back off!"
When the old man and others broke into the battle, Hasegawa began to quickly command his subordinates to retreat, regrouping and at the same time widening the distance from the old man and others.
Seeing these uninvited guests who killed Gao Qing and others in just a blink of an eye, the vigilance in Hasegawa's eyes was intense to the extreme.
"I am a thief who changed into a commander: Heizo Hasegawa!"
Hasegawa held the knife tightly and asked loudly.
"Who are you?"
"Hasegawa Heizo?" Hasegawa saw that the old man's expression became strange after he mumbled like this.
At this time, a male voice that was quite familiar to Hasegawa came from behind the old man:
"Mr. Hasegawa? Why are you here?"
A tall, strong man walked out not far behind the old man.